


Life After

by Lemonbear



Category: Flashpoint (TV)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Developing Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:55:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29564325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lemonbear/pseuds/Lemonbear
Summary: I've had this in my head just needed to get it out .....Ed is starting over trying to pick up the pieces of his life and help comes from a surprising source, and develops into something both of them didn't know they could have.
Relationships: Ed Lane/Sam Braddock
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. Nightmares

Ed sat bolt up right in bed with a start the sheets pooling around his waist the graphic images still playing in his head, gasping for breath his body was dripping in sweat, his heart beating so hard he though it was going to burst right out of his rib cage.

All of a sudden a warm body was kneeling behind him, arms wrapping tightly around his chest a head resting gently on his shoulder, and a soft calming voice cutting through the fear and panic whispering in his ear, “ _That_ _he was okay, that he just needed to slow it down, slow it down and just breath.”_

Leaning back Ed nodded and did as he was instructed, closing his eyes and steadily getting his emotions under control enough so that he could actually form a coherent answer to the question he had just been asked.

 _“_ Accident _?”_

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Ed sighed wiping the sweat out of his eyes, “Yeah … yeah it was, how’d you know?”

“You were shouting like before, and the anniversary is in a few weeks time so it’s obvious that it will be in the background at the moment,” there was a slight pause, “Wanna talk about it?”

Weighing up his options and reminding himself of the progress they had already made with this Ed began to talk, “I thought I had a handle on it, some form of acceptance,” Ed took a long deep breath in an effort to stop his voice from breaking, “But there I was watching the truck coming towards us and not being able to do a damn thing about it, watchingin the aftermath of her slipping away. Jesus I have never felt more useless and alone in my life.”

“Whoa... wait we’ve talked about this, you’re not to blame,” suddenly the voice became a little firmer, “Hey look at me you’re not alone anymore, you have me for as long as you want me and this, I told you I’m in this for the long haul.”

Turning slightly to look at the person behind him Ed felt a hand touch the side of his face and a thumb gently wipe away the single tear that he hadn’t managed to stop from falling.

“You are not to blame, and you know she wouldn’t want you punishing yourself like this.”

Ed took the hand from his face and placed a kiss against its palm before speaking again, “I know this situation is bizarre and me falling for you is so far out of left field that to begin with it scared me to death, but I want this, I want you, I want this relationship with you more than you could ever know, but I can’t help feeling guilty that I survived and she didn’t. I should have protected her,” Ed desperately replied.

“Eddie, it was an accident pure and simple, a moment in time that now no matter what you cannot change, you barely survived yourself, so you have to live it to the fullest and carry on, believe you survived for a reason, and one of those reasons is Clark.”

Ed smiled at the mention of his son’s name, he had tried his upmost to keep it together to some degree for the sake of his son during those devastatingly dark days, holding him and reassuring him when he broke down in tears, just standing and taking it when Clark was so mad at the world and everyone in it that the only person he had to scream and shout at was him.

It was only when no one was around to see that Ed would let himself fall to pieces, but someone had seen him at the worse possible time of his life, and from the most surprising source came a offered hand of friendship and support, and had in turn over a year later with some major doubts, apprehension and a whole load of hard work ended up with them sharing his bed in the most intimate way possible.

Ed was brought out of his thoughts by the tugging on his shoulders, “Come on it’s late and I know we’re off tomorrow, but we still need to try and get some sleep.”

Laying back down Eddie slipped his hand into the hand of the person laying next to him and entwined his fingers with theirs giving a gentle squeeze, and in a barely audible voice whispered, “Thank you.”

Even though it was dark Ed could hear the person next to him was smiling when they spoke, “You’re welcome, glad I can help and I’m sure you’ll be returning the favour in time, we’ve known from the beginning that this is going to be an ongoing element of our relationship, but we’ll get though these nights together, I promise.”

Ed turned onto his side so he was facing the person next to him, and reaching out he lightly traced his fingers over their stomach, smiling as a sharp intake of breath broke the silence, gradually moving his hand up he stopped to feel the rapidly beating heart beat.

Ed was surprised how quickly he had gotten used to doing this, touching someone's chest and having it be all hard and define muscle instead of soft, he wasn’t going to lie this situation had totally freaked him out, but as time had gone on and they had become closer Ed knew that this was good for him, for both of them and that they could be happy and make it work, and with that his final decision had been made.

“It’s time we came clean and told Clark,” he blurted out with a little more confidence than he felt, “It’s time for everyone to know about us.”

There were a few minutes of shocked silence before a soft reply was forthcoming, “Eddie are you sure?’

Releasing the breath he didn’t even realise he had been holding Ed lent over and made direct eye contact, “Yes Sam I’m sure, I’m terrified but I’m sure,”then he crushed his lips against Sam’s pushing his tongue inside kissing him like his life depended on it and having Sam return in kind, having to break apart a few minutes later for air.

“When are you thinking of tell him?” Sam hesitantly asked.

“He’s back tomorrow, so there’ll be no time like the present, and I’ve waited long enough, and I’m grateful that you have been so patience with me over it but I’m not prepared to run away anymore, this is too important to me .... you’re too important to me.”

Although Sam was a little apprehensive it gave him a warming feeling of affection that Ed was now ready to take this step, so he just nodded his agreement, “Ok I’ll be up and gone before he gets home.”

“Ok, yeah that’s maybe for the best, but please don’t go far cause I know I’m gonna need back up depending how he takes it,” Ed countered nervously.

“Hey always, I promised remember?” Sam reassured him.  
  



	2. Talk To Me

Ed stood at the kitchen sink watching the sun rise over the backyard, it was going to be a beautiful day and hopefully the conversation he was about to have when Clark got home wouldn’t ruin it, mug of coffee in hand and a bright grin on his face he let his mind drift to recount this mornings activities.

Sam had left about an hour ago telling him he was only a phone call away, but what Ed couldn’t forget was the look of pure shock on his face when Ed had grabbed him and pulled him into the shower with him, although it probably had more to do with the fact that it was the most forward Ed had been since they had started sleeping together, usually it was Sam who did all the running and Ed went along for the ride … literally, but now they had made the decision to take their relationship public he felt less inhibited, there was a sense of relief that they wouldn’t have to sneak around anymore or worry that someone would catch on to how they felt about each other.

As much as Ed wasn’t big on public displays of affection, he still liked the thought that he could if he wanted to and so could Sam, who when he knew no one was looking had absolutely no qualms, especially when they were in close proximity to each other of running his hand down to the small of Ed’s back and letting it rest there just that little bit longer then was necessary, or when they were in the locker room changing after shift he would play grab ass and laughing when Greg caught Ed giving him the death stare and asked him what was wrong.

Even with all of that Eddie was still terrified of what Clark would have to say about his dad being in a serious relationship with a man and a team member to boot, he knew Clark was open minded but this was a whole different situation, and one he wasn’t even sure he knew how to go about broaching.

Sam and himself had talked a million different scenarios this morning, but when it came down to it Ed was lost and it wasn’t as if he could even talk to Greg about it, and thinking of that that was going to be a whole neither can of worms, but they would cross that bridge when they came to it now the most important thing was his son, who at that precise moment walked though the front door, his bright cheerful voice calling out to him.

“Hey dad I’m home, where are you?”

“Kitchen,” Ed replied as he started to washed up his now empty coffee mug trying and failing miserably to calm his jittery nerves, mumbling to himself “ _Okay Lane you can do this, time to man up.”_

Hearing Clark come into the kitchen Ed dried his hands and crossed the short space between them and pulled him into a tight bear hug, “Welcome home, everything okay?”

“Yeah dad, apart from the fact you’re squeezing me to death,” Clark replied giving his dad a pained expression.

“Sorry, missed ya that’s all,” Ed half laughed as he gave Clark a kiss on the forehead and pulled back., “Um … you have a good time, everyone turn up, no one got into any trouble?”

“Yes dad I have a good time, yes everyone turned up and no no one got into any trouble.”

Clark eyed Ed warily, suspension and fear slowly raising hand in hand. Even in the limited time he had been home, he could tell his dad was on edge, his body language was tight and guarded, it was obvious something was serious wrong, but it didn’t look like he had been injured at work and he didn’t look sick, or was he.

Nervously Clark asked the question, “Dad what’s … what’s going on .... oh no are you ill?”

Ed momentarily looked up surprised and a little taken aback at Clark’s question and then felt a prang of guilt at the look of fear starting to show on his son’s face, “No, no I’m not sick, why would you think that?”

“Because you have the same look on your face when you told me mom had died,” Clark replied his voice quivering with emotion.

Eddie mentally kicked himself, how could he have been so stupid not to realise that Clark would see straight through him, especially nowadays after everything that they as father and son had been through together, Ed now hide nothing from him good or bad and Clark fully reciprocated.

“Honestly I’m fine, everything is fine but I do need to talk to you about something and I’m not making a good job of it,” Ed pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down gesturing for Clark to do the same.

Waiting a few minutes before he went to speak, Ed tried to form the right words but whatever ran though his head sounded like some sort of excuse and really lame … come on stop beating around the bush just tell him straight, it’s a bit like pulling off a band aid just rip if off in one fail swoop, and before he realised it the words were out his mouth, “I’m seeing someone …. I’m seeing Sam,” there that was it, it was done no going back now. Ed placed his head in his hand and groaned, “ _subtle Lane real subtle”_.

Clark stared at his dad not sure he’d heard him right, worrying his bottom lip he closed his eyes, trying to hide the fact that his emotions were in turmoil.

He was happy that his dad had found someone too possibly share his life with, he didn’t want him to always be on his own especially when he wasn’t the easiest person to get on with and his job was a whole other bone of contention, Clark had seen the toll it had taken on his parents but they had made it work, they’d been together a long time, but it hadn’t always been plain sailing and Clark wondered if this new person would be strong enough to do the same, to stand up to him when they needed to but also to help him over come his demons that although rose out of the darknessa lotless frequently of late, but they still did and probably always would.

But along with the spark of happiness Clark was warring with the fact that he also felt angry and resentful that his dad was moving on already, it had only been 18 months since his mom had passed and here he was with someone new like his mom was no longer important to him or he had stopped caring about her, that that part of his life had never existed now, Clark opened his eyes and looked at his hands resting on the top of the table, and in a voice so quiet that Ed nearly missed it he asked, “What about mom?”

Ed looked up sharply, alarm and confusion written all over his face, “what do you mean, what about mom?” he asked with trepidation, but as the silence lengthened Ed got up off his chair and went and crouched in front of Clark, placing his finger under his chin and raised his head, his voice hushed, Ed asked again, “Hey, Clark talk to me buddy, what do you mean what about mom, help me understand.”


End file.
